If you are thinking of making hijrah/moving overseas, obviously you will need a passport.

Even if you are not leaving anytime soon, I highly recommend getting your passports now. It can save you a lot of headache in the future from having to rush and get them at the last minute (like we did).

Here are some resources that can be helpful if you’ve never had to get a passport before:

Where and How Do You Get a Passport?

Source: US State Department site

To obtain a passport for the first time, you need to go in person to a passport acceptance facility with two photographs of yourself, proof of U.S. citizenship, a valid form of photo identification such as a driver’s license, the correct fee, and form DS-11 (http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds11/ds11_842.html) filled out but NOT signed. Passport acceptance facilities include many Federal, state and probate courts, post offices, some public libraries and a number of county and municipal offices.

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: Passports and visas are required for travel to Yemen. Visas may be obtained at Yemeni Embassies abroad; all travelers to Yemen can also potentially obtain entry visas at ports of entry. Travelers to Yemen are no longer required to have an affiliation with and arrange their travel through a Yemeni-based individual or organization to enter Yemen. However, individuals may be asked for supporting evidence of their character, purpose of visit and length of stay. Upon arrival at ports of entry, travelers may be issued a visa valid for a maximum of three months.

Yemeni law requires that all foreigners traveling in Yemen obtain exit visas before leaving the country. In cases of travelers with valid tourist visas and without any special circumstances (like those listed below), this exit visa is obtained automatically at the port of exit as long as the traveler has not overstayed the terms of the visa.

In certain situations, however, foreigners are required to obtain exit visas from the Immigration and Passport Authority headquarters in Sanaa. These cases may include, but are not limited to, foreigners who have overstayed the validity date of their visa; U.S.-citizen children with Yemeni or Yemeni-American parents who are not exiting Yemen with them; foreigners who have lost the passport containing their entry visa; foreign residents whose residence visas are based on their employment or study in Yemen, marriage to a Yemeni citizen, or relationship to a Yemeni parent; or foreign residents who have pending legal action (including court-based “holds” on family members’ travel). The loss of a passport can result in considerable delay to a traveler because Yemeni law requires that the traveler attempt to recover the passport by placing an advertisement in a newspaper and waiting a week for a response. All minor/underage U.S. citizens should be accompanied by their legal guardian(s) and/or provide a notarized letter in Arabic of parental consent when obtaining exit visas to depart Yemen. In all of these more complex cases, obtaining an exit visa requires the permission of the employing company, the sponsoring Yemeni family member, the sponsoring school or the court in which the legal action is pending. Without this permission, foreigners — including U.S. Citizens — may not be allowed to leave Yemen.

American women who also hold Yemeni nationality and/or are married to Yemeni or Yemeni-American men often must obtain permission from their husbands for exit visas. They also may not take their children out of Yemen without the permission of the father, regardless of who has custody (see Special Circumstances section below).

For more details, travelers can contact the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen, Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037, telephone 202-965-4760; or the Yemeni (Mission to the U.N., 866 United Nations Plaza, Room 435, New York, NY 10017, telephone (212) 355-1730. Visit the Yemeni Embassy home page for more visa information at http://www.yemenembassy.org/.

TJ Tip:

When taking pictures for your passport, be sure to hold on to the negatives so that if you lose a passport and the picture is pretty recent, you can just get pictures made from the negatives, insha Allah. This is handy if you have a lot of kids and don’t want to cart them in to get pictures taken.

Be sure to pay special attention to the exit requirements as not knowing them can cause you delays in leaving Yemen.

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: Passports and visas are required for travel to Yemen. Visas may be obtained at Yemeni Embassies abroad; all travelers to Yemen can also potentially obtain entry visas at ports of entry. Travelers to Yemen are no longer required to have an affiliation with and arrange their travel through a Yemeni-based individual or organization to enter Yemen. However, individuals may be asked for supporting evidence of their character, purpose of visit and length of stay. Upon arrival at ports of entry, travelers may be issued a visa valid for a maximum of three months.

Yemeni law requires that all foreigners traveling in Yemen obtain exit visas before leaving the country. In cases of travelers with valid tourist visas and without any special circumstances (like those listed below), this exit visa is obtained automatically at the port of exit as long as the traveler has not overstayed the terms of the visa.

In certain situations, however, foreigners are required to obtain exit visas from the Immigration and Passport Authority headquarters in Sanaa. These cases may include, but are not limited to, foreigners who have overstayed the validity date of their visa; U.S.-citizen children with Yemeni or Yemeni-American parents who are not exiting Yemen with them; foreigners who have lost the passport containing their entry visa; foreign residents whose residence visas are based on their employment or study in Yemen, marriage to a Yemeni citizen, or relationship to a Yemeni parent; or foreign residents who have pending legal action (including court-based “holds” on family members’ travel). The loss of a passport can result in considerable delay to a traveler because Yemeni law requires that the traveler attempt to recover the passport by placing an advertisement in a newspaper and waiting a week for a response. All minor/underage U.S. citizens should be accompanied by their legal guardian(s) and/or provide a notarized letter in Arabic of parental consent when obtaining exit visas to depart Yemen. In all of these more complex cases, obtaining an exit visa requires the permission of the employing company, the sponsoring Yemeni family member, the sponsoring school or the court in which the legal action is pending. Without this permission, foreigners — including U.S. Citizens — may not be allowed to leave Yemen.

American women who also hold Yemeni nationality and/or are married to Yemeni or Yemeni-American men often must obtain permission from their husbands for exit visas. (This can be the case for American women married to Americans as well-TJYemen). They also may not take their children out of Yemen without the permission of the father, regardless of who has custody (see Special Circumstances section below).

For more details, travelers can contact the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen, Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037, telephone 202-965-4760; or the Yemeni (Mission to the U.N., 866 United Nations Plaza, Room 435, New York, NY 10017, telephone (212) 355-1730. Visit the Yemeni Embassy home page for more visa information at http://www.yemenembassy.org/.

There are 400 publishing houses participating in the book fair, according to a news brief.

I have never personally been to one yet, so I am not sure if they have English books or not, I thought I had heard a sister say that they did have them, but not sure.

If you are interested in going, its on Shariah Sitteen, at the Sana’a, Exphibition Center (not sure if that’s the correct name). If you are heading west on Shariah Sitteen, its after City Max, on the same side of the street, maybe 1/2 mile away (not too sure, but its not too far afterwards). You’ll see lots of cars and signs.

I am not sure of the hours. If I go, I’ll post here, insha Allah on what I found.

Description: The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is an international humanitarian NGO that has been providing development services in Yemen since 1995. ADRA invites candidates to apply for the following position in Kharaz Refugee Camp, Lahj Governorate,…

Description: The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is an international humanitarian NGO that has been providing development services in Yemen since 1995. ADRA invites candidates to apply for the following positions in Kharaz Refugee Camp, Lahj Governorate…

Description: The Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies is looking for an experienced candidate in EFL/ESL teaching and curriculum designing to oversee the academic department of English language institute in the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies The Academi…

Description: The Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies is seeking qualified applicants for teaching English as a foreign language to Yemeni students. Teaching hours are between four to six hours a day, with additional hours for class preparation and grading homewor…

Description: The Grant Administrator will be employed by the YCMES administration to ensure that a pending grant is implemented and carried out in accordance with U.S. State Department / USAID policies and procedures. In addition to grant oversight, s/he will coordin…

Description: 18-month placement (December 2008 – May 2010) This placement offers an exciting opportunity to participate in the response to HIV and AIDS in a country with current low prevalence rates but very low levels of awareness. Working alongside local governme…

Description: The Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies is looking for an experienced candidate in administration and teaching English as a Foreign Language to head an English language institute in the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies. The center will teach…

I know that many hear of the Arabic toilet (I guess they use them in other parts of Asia and Africa as well) but may not know exactly what it looks like. I know it was hard for me to envision this foreign object before coming to this part of the world, so I found a few pics on the net to help erase the mystery for others:

Some mirhads, like this one, flush. Others do not. So you need to flush with like a bucket of water. They can get really smelly if you don’t flush, so its a must.

This is an average one like the ones that I have seen, but in older buildings they can look really nasty or just be not too much more than a hole in the floor. Fortunately, all the ones that have been in the houses we have lived in have been pretty decent and clean up pretty easily.

This is typically how a bathroom will look in Yemen (below), with a mirhad and a toilet. Sometimes there will be just a mirhad and sometimes just a toilet.